Minister for Public Works, Ports and Inland Transport H.C. Mahadevappa has that the government will announce a new sand extraction policy soon. It is aimed at effectively curbing illegal sand extraction, he said.
The Minister, who was here to launch various development projects, told presspersons at Sirwar in Manvi taluk on Saturday, “The government has taken the issue of illegal sand extraction seriously and is committed to curbing it by adopting a tough policy. The policy will have provisions for booking those involved in illegal sand extraction under the Goonda Act.”
The Minister said the government had initiated measures to weed out fake sand transport permits. Deputy commissioners of all districts were empowered to take steps to curb illegal sand extraction, he added.
Mr. Mahadevappa said the government had planned to develop about 13,000 km of rural roads across the State in the current year. “Besides this, over 1,600 bridges are to be repaired. Housing and Urban Development Corporation Ltd. (HUDCO), a Union government undertaking, has agreed to provide loan for repairing 400 bridges,” he said.
The Minister said the State government had provided Rs. 597.92 crore for developing roads in Raichur district. “The government has instructed contractors to complete all road projects within 20 months without compromising on the quality of work,” he said.
A host of elected representatives, including Raichur MP B.V. Naik and MLC N.S. Boseraju were present.
